1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric motor and a fuel pump having the same.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a known fuel pump that uses an electric motor as a drive source, in which electric current supplied to coils of a rotor is commutated (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-312812, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 7,084,547 B2). In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-312812, among segments of the commutator, which are arranged one after another in a rotational direction of the commutator, the segments of the same electrical potential are electrically interconnected by a corresponding connection terminal, which is in a form of a metal plate, to electrically connect between the corresponding coils, which are electrically connected to the segments of the same electrical potential.
However, when the connection terminal is used to electrically connect between the coils, the connection terminal needs to be processed into a rather complicated shape, as in the case of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-312812. Therefore, the manufacturing costs are disadvantageously increased. Even in a brushless motor, which does not use a commutator, when coils are electrically connected by a connection terminal of the above type, the connection terminal needs to be processed into a rather complicated shape, thereby disadvantageously resulting in an increase in the manufacturing costs.
When the coils are connected by a connection line without using the connection terminal, the coils can be electrically connected in a simple and inexpensive manner. However, when an external force, such as vibration, is applied, the position of the connection line may possibly deviate, and the adjacent connection lines may interfere with each other, or the connection line and the coil may interfere with each other.